Opinion about ceramic coating?

[ajamils]

Our cars are still few months away but I've been doing some research about ceramic coating. I've never gotten it done before but this time I'm plan on getting it done. The dealer where I ordered my car from is offer it for around $1500.

What do you guys think? Also, there seem to be multiple options available in the market. Which one is the best? Being in Houston, I want something that can keep the car shinny without a lot of maintenance.

 

[jdpeake]

I was planning on doing 3M wraps on the car.....is the ceramic coating a better option?

 

[BenBaad]

I plan to ceramic coat the whole car, as well as do Expel clear bra at least on the front of the car. Possibly the sides too. Or maybe the whole car Got pricing from a shop local already (AZ)

 

[BenBaad]

 

[RDATLTE]

I was planning on doing 3M wraps on the car.....is the ceramic coating a better option?

In a word, no.

 

[RDATLTE]

I plan on 100% Expel PPF. Ceramic over that is overkill and unnecessary. A good sealer over the PPF is all that is needed.

 

[jdpeake]

Will you wrap the whole car?

 

[ajamils]

In a word, no.

Aren't those two different things? It thought 3M clear wrap just protects the car from scraps and chips but does not actually enhance the shine or keep it glossy while the Xpel/ceramic coating does that.

 

[RDATLTE]

Will you wrap the whole car?

Yes, 100%.

 

[jdpeake]

Just went to their site. Impressive product. I think I'll be considering it. How much for the whole car?

 

[RDATLTE]

Aren't those two different things? It thought 3M clear wrap just protects the car from scraps and chips but does not actually enhance the shine or keep it glossy while the Xpel/ceramic coating does that.

No, not exactly. PPF not only protects it from scrapes and chips, it also makes it so much easier to maintain. Ceramic coating in addition to making the car glossy, does provide a layer of protection that you wouldn't get from just a wax.

 

[Tall Steve]

I did Graphene coating on my CT5-V that I have now and plan on doing the BW..It shines well and makes it easy to clean as well as protecting it from contaminates..I've been thinking about adding some additional protection to the front also...As soon as I get mine I'm taking it to my guy to get the ceramic window tint (6 windows) and the paint protection..My dealer knows me well enough to deliver my car to me dirty because I do not want to start with any swirl marks......

 

[Ungwei]

Definitely hope to get some help on this when the time comes since I made the genius decision of getting mine in black despite knowing it will be a huge pain to maintain. I heard that ceramic coating can sometimes make black paint look a little strange, any truth to that?

 

[arod221]

so, as a person who has 4 vehicles and 3 of them currently ceramic coated I would highly recommend it....HOWEVER!!!, I would not let a dealership do it. Have a professional detailing shop do it so you can make sure they do a very good paint correction first or else you are going to have a ceramic coating over the factory imperfections in your paint and you will never get them out.
If you have IG look up Elite Finish Detailing and browse through some of their work to get an idea of what a great detailing shop can do for your "factory perfect" paint job.
Car Pro makes a great line of ceramic coating called CQuartz I have the Finest Reserve line on my ZL1, the Professional line on my wife's XT6, and the UK 3.0 on my CTS-V...all of them are great but the finest reserve and pro lines can only be applied by a car pro certified detail shop.
My ZL1 has not had a water bath in over 2 years and still looks perfect with no spider webbing at all.
As for the CT5-V BW it will be going to Elite Finish on the trailer straight from the dealership for full STEK clear or satin PPF and CQuartz pro ceramic over the top of the PPF (overkill but thats fine by me)

 

[ajamils]

so, as a person who has 4 vehicles and 3 of them currently ceramic coated I would highly recommend it....HOWEVER!!!, I would not let a dealership do it. Have a professional detailing shop do it so you can make sure they do a very good paint correction first or else you are going to have a ceramic coating over the factory imperfections in your paint and you will never get them out.
If you have IG look up Elite Finish Detailing and browse through some of their work to get an idea of what a great detailing shop can do for your "factory perfect" paint job.
Car Pro makes a great line of ceramic coating called CQuartz I have the Finest Reserve line on my ZL1, the Professional line on my wife's XT6, and the UK 3.0 on my CTS-V...all of them are great but the finest reserve and pro lines can only be applied by a car pro certified detail shop.
My ZL1 has not had a water bath in over 2 years and still looks perfect with no spider webbing at all.
As for the CT5-V BW it will be going to Elite Finish on the trailer straight from the dealership for full STEK clear or satin PPF and CQuartz pro ceramic over the top of the PPF (overkill but thats fine by me)

What's the ballpark figure on cost of the Finest Reserve?
I would like to get something like that done so that it requires less maintenance to keep the car looking like new. Getting too old to spend hours washing and waxing car like I used to in the younger days

 

[arod221]

that would depend on your detailer...If I were you I would call around and find a very reputable detailer who is certified to apply Car Pro products and find out what they charge.
My shop charged me $2500 for full paint correction and CQuartz Finest Reserve.

 

[sandstrs]

I did Ceramic Pro Gold package and paint correction, on 3 of my current vehicles, by a certified pro, $3K each. Great at sealing in the perfect paint, but not the greatest for rock chips. And does make it really shine.

 

[arod221]

I did Ceramic Pro Gold package and paint correction, on 3 of my current vehicles, by a certified pro, $3K each. Great at sealing in the perfect paint, but not the greatest for rock chips. And does make it really shine.

do people give you a hard time when you tell them you spent $3k on ceramic? I get told all the time I paid too much...but honestly there is a huge difference between a $2-3k job and those $800-1500 jobs. The proof is in the results I tell them.

 

[sandstrs]

Not really, but it is a choice. The Paint Correction is the most noticeable on my black cars.

 

[arod221]

Not really, but it is a choice. The Paint Correction is the most noticeable on my black cars.

paint correction is a must for black cars for sure. It makes all the difference in the world.